Yaoi Betrothal
by Kiraya Sakira
Summary: Our two favorite go rivals have known they'd have to marry early on in life since they were kids. Needless to say, this has drastic consequences on how everythint turns out. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1 Spilling the Beans

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 1  
Spilling the Beans

"Hikaru, sweetie?" Mrs. Shindou said to her five-year-old son playing with wooden blocks in front of her.

"Yes, Mommie?"

"What do you think about relationships between two guys?"

"That it doesn't matter as long as you're happy! Why'd you wanna know?" Hikaru Shindou asked cutely.

"Well, you know how Daddy and I told you that you're to be married when you turn fifteen?"

"Yeah!"

"It's to a guy, are you alright with that?" asked Mrs. Shindou nervously.

"It's fine, Mommy, I don't mind! Yumi at school has two dads, and she says that she wants it that way, without a mommy, 'cause she knows she'll always be pr…pro…protecteted!" Hikaru responded naively.

"That's good, Hikaru, I'm happy to hear that. We're going to go meet your fiance tonight, so don't get dirty today."

"Ok, Mommy!"

Across Tokyo, a similar conversation was just ending.

"Yes, Father, I understand," a young boy with straight, chin-length black hair said, placing a white go stone from his place in his dad's lap.


	2. Chapter 2 The Rules of Go

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 2  
The Rules of Go

"Akira, this is Hikaru," the Meijin told his son, his hand on the shoulder of a boy with black hair with bleached bangs and green eyes.

"Hi," Hikaru said shyly, nervously straightening his long-sleeved yellow shirt with a black printed 'five' on the front.

"Hi, Hikaru, I'm Akira," the boy introduced himself.

"Akira," Koyou interrupted, "why don't you take Hikaru up to your room?"

"Yes, Father. Hikaru, follow me, please."

"Ok!"

Akira led his betrothed up the stairs of the traditional home to his bedroom.

"Hey, Akira, you have a Go board?" Hikaru questioned innocently, pointing to an elevated wooden game board with two baskets sitting on top of it. "Do you play?"

"Yes, I do. Do you?"

"My grandpa's been trying to teach me, but he's not a good teacher."

"I can teach you!" Akira offered, the idea of a person his age to play pleasing him.

"Ok!"

"So, Hikaru, what do you know already?" Akira asked as he and Hikaru sat down at the Go board.

"You place the Go stones at the crosses! And you're trying to gain the other person's stones by surrounding them! Oh, and black goes first, so white starts off with five and a half points!"

"Right, that's called komi. To decide who goes first, we do something called Nigiri."

"What's Nigeri?" Hikaru mispronounced, tilting his head like a curios puppy.

"Nigiri is when one person grabs a handful of white stones and places them on the board, making sure to keep the stones covered. The other person puts down one white stone if they think there's an odd number of stones, two if they think the pile's even," Akira explained. "If they're right, they go first."

"Ok! I'll grab the black stones!" Hikaru chirped. The small boy followed Akira's directions, grabbing a fist-full of black stones and laying them on the Goban. Akira set two white stones on the board.

"One…two…three…four…" Hikaru counted. "Twelve! So you go first, as black!" Hikaru announced happily.

"Normally, yes. However, I'm a better player, so you're black. Place five black stones on the board."

"Why?" Hikaru asked with a confused look on his face.

"It's to even the playing field. I'm a better player; if I didn't give you the advantage, I'd win too fast, you wouldn't learn anything."

"Oh, ok!" Hikaru did as he was told, setting up his five stones in the lower left corner, forming the beginnings of an eye.

"Is that your grandpa taught you?" Akira asked, surprised at Hikaru's choice.

"Yeah, but we never play a real game, he just teaches me stra…stra…strategegies," Hikaru explained.

"You mean strategies?" Akira questioned, puzzled over the strange word that came out of Hikaru's mouth.

"Yep! That's the word, strategegies!"

Akira shrugged, and began to play.

"Oh, I lost!" Hikaru pouted.

"Yes, but you played well, Hikaru. With practice, you may even be able to catch up to me!" a surprised Akira informed his fiancé.

"You bet I am! I'm going to beat you someday, you'll see!"

Laughter echoed through the room.

"Father!"

"Mr. Touya!" The boys whirled around to see the Meijin standing in the doorway.

"It's Koyou, Hikaru, no reason to be so formal. I'm glad to see you two getting along so well."


	3. Chapter 3 Hikaru's Fainting Spell

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Three  
Hikaru's Fainting Spell

"Hikaru, are you sure we're allowed to be here?" Akari asked nervously as the two twelve-year-olds raced up the steps to Hikaru's grandfather's attic.

"Yes, Akari, it's fine. I've got to find something in here I could sell! I got an eight on the last history test, and Mom and Dad stopped my allowance. I need money to buy Akira a present; he gave me that really nice Go board last year, so I have to give him something nice!" Hikaru explained as he searched through his grandfather's attic. "Oh, look at this!"

"What is it, Hikaru?" Akari asked as Hikaru dragged something heavy out of the corner and into the center of the room. "Oh, it's a Go board!"

"I don't think Grandpa knows it's here," Hikaru said as he dusted the game board off. "Now, if only this stain would come out!"

Akari bit her lip nervously. "Um, Hikaru, there is no stain."

"Yes, there is! It's right here!"

"Hikaru, I don't see it!"

"It's there, see? It looks like blood!"

Hikaru heard a mysterious male voice say. 

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Hikaru spoke up.

"Hikaru, you're scaring me!

"You can see it?"

"Grandfather, is that you?" he asked, jerking around to look behind him.

"Hikaru, there's no one there!" Akari told her friend. "I'm going to go!"Akari ran out the door, ignored by Hikaru.

the voice asked as the ghost of a male with long purple hair and wearing a kimono appeared from out of no where. 

"Ah!" Hikaru screamed, falling onto the ground, unconscious.

"Akira!" Youya-Meijin called.

"Yes, Father?" Akira asked as he walked downstairs to his father, who was standing by the phone.

"Put on your shoes, we've got to go; Hikaru's in the hospital."

"What?!" Akira's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"The doctors don't know; he was found in his grandfather's attic. His friend Akari said he was hearing voices before it happened."

"I hope he's ok," Akira said nervously as he hurriedly slipped on his shoes and ran outside to the car with his father.

When they arrived, they walked to the front desk, where a woman wearing a nurse's uniform was standing.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you tell us what room Shindou Hikaru is in?" the Meijin asked.

"I'm sorry, only family's allowed in ICU," the woman informed the two apologetically after looking at her computer.

"My son is in Hikaru's records as his to-be life partner."

"Let's see…Ah, young Shindou is betrothed! The computer says Touya Akira, is that your son?"

The Meijin nodded.

"All right, then, Shindou's in room 365, on the third floor. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine, we understand," Touya Meijin said as he led Akira to the elevator to his left side of the hospital's lobby.


	4. Chapter 4 This is Sai

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 4  
This is Sai

"Hikaru!" Akira said desperately as he walked into the hospital room, rushing to his boyfriend's side.

"Excuse me, young man, but only family is allowed in here at the moment," the nurse checking Hikaru's vitals informed the amazing Go player.

"They're Keisuke, ma'am," Koyou said, walking into the room after Akira.

The woman's eyes widened. "You get up on the bed with him, now!" she hurriedly told Akira as she moved the machinery around so Akira wouldn't disrupt them while in the hospital bed with Hikaru.

"Alright, but may I ask why?" Akira politely asked as he climbed onto the bed, got under the blankets, and wrapped his arms around Hikaru.

"If I learned one thing during my time as a nurse, it's that if a Keisuke turns up unconscious for no reason, the best cure is to put their partner in bed with them," the elderly nurse replied as she tucked the two twelve-year-old boys in.

"Really? How many Keisuke pairs are there?"

"Yes, I grew up in a small village, and while I was learning medicine from the village healer we had to treat a Keisuke pair that lived just outside the village quite often. From them, I learned that there are always five Keisuke pairs at any given time. Now, you go to sleep and help cure your beloved their, alright?" the friendly, elderly nurse smiled as she left the room.

Akira complied, drifting off to sleep quickly.

"Hello, Hikaru," Akira smiled as he appeared on a beach of soft sand, facing the ocean with the sun setting on the horizon.

"Hey, Akira," Hikaru smiled back as the dark-green-haired boy sat down next to him. "It's been awhile since we were last here."

"Yes, it has. Hikaru, what happened today?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but I was up in my grandpa's attic when a ghost came out of an old Goban. His same is Sai, and he's appeared before another, as well... Honinbou Shuusaku."

"What? That's amazing!" Akira's eyes widened.

"Oh, hello. Who is this, Hikaru?" a voice said as a ghostly figure appeared from nowhere.

"Ah!" boy Hikaru and Akira shrieked in shock.

"Am I really that scary?" Sai pouted.

"No, sorry, I just wasn't expecting to be able to see you," Akira explained.

"You mean you can hear me? How is that possible?" Sai stressed, pacing around the beach anxiously.


	5. Chapter 5 The Passing of Time

Ok, sorry for the choppiness of the chapter, but this is just about everything I had to change for the first 30 episodes and/or eight volumes of the manga. I can't write the real part of the story until I get to the pro-exams, but I can't just leave the beginning alone, obviously.

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Five  
The Passing of Time

Akira and Hikaru glanced at each other, rolling their eyes at the childish antics of Sai, who was still wandering around the beach frantically.

Ten minutes later:

"Sai!" Hikaru finally called. "Snap out of it!"

"Oh, right, it's just that I've never had more than one person able to see me before," Sai explained, opening and closing his fan nervously.

"It may be because we're Keisuke," Akira spoke up.

Sai's eyes widened. "You're Keisuke? Wow, that's amazing!" he sighed dreamily.

Akira and Hikaru smiled. "Yes, Sai, it is."

The conversation was forced to a close by the waves of the water suddenly increasing in size, crashing upon the shore, signaling the end of the dream.

"See you in the real world," Akira whispered in Hikaru's ear, kissing him on the cheek.

…

"Oh, it's Akira's Go Salon!" Hikaru told Sai in surprise as he saw the boy after school the next day when the boy and his ghost friend entered the salon.

"Hikaru, why are you two acting like you don't know each other?" Sai asked in confusion as the two introduced themselves in front of the woman behind the counter.

"We don't want anyone to know about us yet," the blonde-banged boy explained silently.

…

Akira thought to himself a few moves into the game. _Yep, I was right,_ he confirmed, seeing Sai appear behind Hikaru, telling Akira's betrothed where to place the stones. 

…

After the game ended, Hikaru raced out of the salon, leaving Akira to deal with the amazed salon patrons alone.

Akira thought as he gazed at the Goban, ignoring the shocked saloon patrons surrounding him. 

…

"Wow, Hikaru, you're a pretty good player," Sai said in surprise later that evening.

"Thanks, it's because I play Akira all the time. Last week, Akira moved my handicap down to one stone!" Hikaru explained.

"Then, why'd you tell the lady at the Go Salon you never play?" Sai asked in confusion.

"Because Akira and I are trying not to let everyone know about us. Akira wants me to take the pro exam in a few years, so we have a feeling that if they know about us, we'll never get a moment of peace," explained Hikaru.

…

"Hikaru, where would you move in this game for **black** to survive?" Sai asked, looking at the two children's game in front of him a week later.

"1-2," Hikaru accidentally spoke aloud. "He should have gone at 1-2."

The room instantly went into an uproar, and Hikaru was dragged out by the tournament coordinators.

…

Akira thought to himself while riding the subway home from the Go Salon. 

A few days later, Akira raced to the Go Association where he had heard that Hikaru may be.

"Hikaru!" Akira called, seeing him on the sidewalk. "I found you! I finally found you, Shindou Hikaru." 

…

"Akira!" Hikaru said surprised. "You've been looking for me? Why didn't you just go to my house?"

"I did, you were never home."

"Mom didn't say anything."

"I told her not to. Why have you been avoiding me?"

Hikaru's eyes widened. "I'm not avoiding you, Akira."

"Then, where have you been lately?"

"At Go Salons. Sai and I have been playing a lot lately."

"Why don't you ever come play me?" Akira asked sadly.

"I wanted to get better so I can beat you. Sai's been teaching me to improve my strategy. It's too predictable for you," Hikaru explained.

"I see. I'm sorry I didn't trust you, Hikaru," Akira apologized.

"Why don't we go to your house or the salon so you can play against Sai?" Hikaru suggested.

"All right," Akira agreed, leading Hikaru to his family's Go Salon, talking to each other quietly during the subway ride.

…

At the salon, the patrons surrounded the table immediately to watch the game.

"We're going to play even, right?" Akira asked, gazing at Hikaru and Sai pointedly.

"Sai, he wants you to play a true game, not a teaching one," Hikaru told the ghost as Akira performed the Nigiri.

…

"I resign," Akira admitted after awhile, pushing the Go stones to the middle of the board.

"Good game, Akira. You played very well. Your passion's amazing," Hikaru said.

Akira ignored him.

"Hikaru, he's ignoring you, aren't you upset?" Sai asked in confusion.

"No, he's busy replaying the game in his mind, trying to figure out better moves," Hikaru explained as he got up to leave.

"I see. He's very wise; it's something everyone should do."

Hikaru rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't know how," he admitted.

"Then, I'll just have to teach you."

…

"Hikaru, why aren't you going in?" Sai asked as Hikaru gazed up at the Touya Family Go Salon.

"I'm not sure that I'm ready to play him yet," Hikaru answered.

He was then jerked out of his conversation by a man in a white suit who pulled him into the Salon.

"Touya-Sensei, this is the boy!" the man exclaimed.

"So, you're the one who beat my son. Let's play a game. Place down two stones, that's how good Akira is."

"Hikaru, let me play him, please," Sai begged.

"Very well," sighed Hikaru.

…

"I can't do this!" Hikaru yelled ten minutes later, running out of the Salon.

Sai gazed at Hikaru in confusion once they reached the nearby park.

"Hikaru, what happened?"

"I couldn't lie to Kouyo like that. He knows I'm not that good of a player. I'll find another way for you to play him," Hikaru promised.

"Very well," Sai sighed, trusting in Hikaru's word.

"Hikaru!"

"Hey, Akari."

"Where have you been lately?"

"Playing Go."

"Go? I thought you only played against Akira."

"Well, I changed my mind," Hikaru shrugged as he walked away, ignoring Akari's invitation to a festival.

…

On Sunday, Hikaru showed up at the festival to see that Akari wasn't there.

"Girls," he sneered as he passed a Go table.

"Hikaru, what's that book?"

"Go matches of Touya Meijin."

"I want it! I want it!"

"All right," Hikaru agreed before turning to the boy at the table. "Give me the hardest one you've got."

"All right, if you can solve this, you're as good as Touya Akira. What's the first move?"

Before Hikaru or Sai could respond, a redheaded boy placed a piece of gum in the correct spot.

"Hey!"

"I'm Kaga, and I've beaten Touya Akira. Tetsui, still looking for a club member? I'll join in if you want me to!"

"Hey, Kaga, I want to play you," Hikaru raged.

…

After losing to Kaga due to getting distracted and placing a stone in the wrong spot, Hikaru found himself in a tournament, playing for Haze Junior High School. Haze came in first, but Hikaru's true age was discovered, so Haze was disqualified.


	6. Chapter 6 Tournament Blues

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Six  
Tournament Blues

Time passed, and Hikaru found himself at Haze, a member of the Go Club. After convincing Mitani Yuki to be a member of the team, he and his team found themselves at another tournament.

…

"Hikaru," a voice said from behind Haze Junior High School's team at the June tournament.

"Oh, hey, Akira," Hikaru smiled, "I didn't know you were a member of your school's Go team."

"You'd have known if you came over like you normally do," Akira retorted quietly.

"Hey, I've been busy, you know that!"

Akira laughed. "Hikaru, you know I'm just teasing!"

"Brat."

"So, I'm a brat now? In that case, you're a baka."

"Kimimoto, since when does Akira joke around with anyone?" a girl of Kaiou asked the captain quietly.

"Since it's Hikaru," Akira answered, rolling his eyes.

"So, this is the guy you've been waiting to play, Akira?" the girl asked, looking at Hikaru. "I'm looking forward to seeing how good of a player you are."

Akari saved Hikaru from answering. "Hey, Akira, I haven't seen you in a while," the girl greeted.

"Hello, Akari, it's nice to see you. How have you been?"

"Great! And you?"

"I've been well. I'm looking forward to playing Hikaru in the second round."

"You're my opponent?" Hikaru asked, a surprised look in his eyes. "That'll be fun! I haven't played you in a long time!"

"Yes, I agree," smiled the green-haired boy. "It will be a fun match.

"Yeah!" Hikaru cheered as he was pulled away by his teammates to the table that their first match would be played on.

"Onegaishimasu."

…

Haze won all three of their matches, advancing to the second round that was to be played after lunch.

"Hikaru, I brought lunch!" Akari told her friend.

"I'm not hungry." Hikaru stood and walked outside. "Sai, who does Akira want to play? He forced his way to the third board, when he should be captain. Is it because he wants to play you, or me?" Hikaru asked with a confused tone.

"I'm not sure. Do you wish to face him?"

"Yes, but…I don't know if I'm the one he wants to face."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"All right."

Hikaru stood and walked back into the competition room, heading directly to Akira.

"Akira, who do you want to face? Sai, or me?" Hikaru demanded, sitting in front of his betrothed.

"You."

"Thanks," Hikaru smiled softly as the end of lunch was called.


	7. Chapter 7 The Mysterious Match

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Seven  
The Mysterious Match

"Onegaishimasu!"

The game began, Akira and Hikaru's first game in several months.

As they played, the other games ended one by one, and Hikaru's team lost. Still, the two played an in-depth, complicated maze of the stones that few in the room could see.

"Wow, that's amazing!" a teacher gasped. "That's way above even my level!"

"Tetsui, since when was Hikaru that good?" Mitani asked in confusion.

"I…don't know," the be-speckled boy responded in amazement.

Akari smiled. "That's because he's playing Akira. He plays really well against Akira, since they've been playing since they were five. But Hikaru's like a beginner against other people, because he can't read ahead, and everyone has different strategies," the pink-haired girl explained.

"That's understandable," the two said in unison as Hikaru placed a stone in the middle of nowhere.

"Ouch! I think Hikaru just lost his chances of winning," Mitani winced.

"Actually, you'd be surprised," Akari informed the other members of Haze.

"What do you mean?"

"Hikaru has a habit of making a bad move an amazing move. He's able to use it well against Akira, but not as well when he's playing other people. It's something he's still working on."

---

"Arigato gozaimasu!"

The game had finally ended after going an hour longer than any other game in the tournament.

"You're getting much better," Akira congratulated as he counted his stones.

"You as well!"

"How are you doing at playing other opponents?"

Hikaru smiled. "I'm getting better. One day, I'll be able to read ahead instead of relying on my knowledge of you!" he grinned.

Hikaru and Akira stood, shaking hands as they calculated the final score. White: 86.5 moku, black: 73.

"Looks like you won again," Hikaru smiled.

"Of course," his betrothed smirked.

"I'll beat you someday, you just wait!"

"If you say so," Akira raised his eyebrow as his team captain reported the score.

"Kaiou Junior High School, 3-0."

Ok, you guys, you have a choice. I have two more chapters waiting for me to post them. However, my beta reader is gone for three weeks. So, you can have those two chapters now, and be waiting, or I can post one next weekend and the last the weekend after that. Please let me know!


	8. Chapter 8 Who's Sai?

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Eight  
Who's Sai?

Later, at the World Amateur Go Tournament, Akira went online to a Go website in order to investigate the mysterious player named Sai who had given everyone in the Go playing world such a startle.

"Sai just challenged him to a match!" the American representative of the tournament gasped when Akira received the game request.

Akira thought to himself as he accepted the challenge. 

After a few moves, Akira resigned, and closed the laptop, after agreeing to a rematch at ten AM on Sunday.

"Why'd you resign, kid?" someone asked.

"I don't want to distract from the tournament, Akira replied before leaving the room.

…

Sunday came, and the third match between Sai and Akira began, an intense battle of minds. Across the glove, hundreds of Go players and fans watched with wide eyes, amazed at the skill of the two players.

In the end, Akira had no choice but to resign, Sai overpowering the aspiring pro who missed his first match of the Pro Test to play him.

…

"Akira-Sensei!" Mr. Hirosei greeted at the Go Salon. "I saw that friend of yours. You know, the one who beat you? I saw him at one of those cafés full of computers!"

"Hikaru? Where?" Akira demanded.

The man told him, and Akira raced across town to the internet café.

"Akira? Why are you here?" Hikaru asked in surprise.

"I- wanted to see you, it's been a while," Akira explained.

Hikaru smiled. "I'm glad to see you as well. How's your Pro Test going?"

"I missed the first match to play Sai!"

"What? How come?" Hikaru asked in shock.

"It would have sounded weird if I said I'd play him in person later…I would have been mobbed with people asking me who he was."

"Still, if you keep chasing Sai, Akira, I'm going to catch up to you!" Hikaru informed him grimly.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked in confusion.

"Ever since the school tournament, you haven't wanted to play me, only Sai."

With that, Hikaru logged off the computer and left the café, leaving Akira behind, standing in shock.


	9. Chapter 9 Saiai

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter Nine  
Saiai

Five months later, after Hikaru decided to become an Insei, Akira came to the Insei institute, led there by Ogata. Seeing Hikaru, he panicked when his betrothed turned to see him.

"Akira!" Hikaru called as the boy ran out of the Insei classroom. Hikaru chased after him, leaving Waya and Isumi behind.

The chase went outside, and Hikaru called to his boyfriend once again.

"Why are you losing? I know you're better than that," Akira said sadly, his back to Hikaru, having seen the records of Hikaru's previous matches.

"I know…I've been trying out a new strategy to defeat you, so you'll see **me** as your rival, not Sai," Hikaru responded quietly, a tear falling from his eye.

Akira whirled around. "Hikaru!" Akira pulled Hikaru into a hug. "I do see you as my rival, Hikaru! Never doubt that!"

"But, you haven't talked to me in months."

Akira sighed. "I know, but I thought you were mad at me because I always wanted to play Sai and not you."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't want you around! Um…why **did** you not want to play me, anyways?" Hikaru asked as he hid his face in Akira's shoulder.

"I wanted to wait to play you so I could improve. I know you're catching up to me, so I want to improve," Akira smiled. "And we'll shock the world when you enter the Pro world!"

"How?" Hikaru asked in a confused voice.

"For one, I hope that's when we will reveal our secret. For another, our game will surprise everyone, just like always!"

"All right!" Hikaru cheered. "I can't wait!"

"Of course! Hikaru, about the Insei ranks…I think you should slowly up your playing level until you make your way up to the A league. I would like to play you in the Young Lions Tournament. I know you're holding back now."

"Ok," Hikaru shrugged. "Can we go back to playing all the time and spending time together all the time?"

"You don't have to ask, silly! We'll **always** play together; we won't be fighting over this anymore, I promise!"

…

"Hikaru," Akira began, pulling Hikaru closer to his chest from the blonde-banged boy's spot in his lap, "do you love me?"

Hikaru sighed, turning slightly to bury his head into Akira's chest. "Of course I love you, silly! Was there ever any doubt?"

Akira smiled, grabbed Hikaru's left hand. "I'd like to put a ring here, Hikaru," Akira whispered, fingering Hikaru's ring finger.

"Isn't that already a given?" Hikaru asked, confusion sounded in his voice like a bell sounding through the air on a bright and sunny windless day.

"A wedding ring, yes, but I'd like to give you an engagement ring. I want our wedding to be just as meaningful as it would be if it was a bonding by our own will, Saiai!" (beloved)

Hikaru raised his head, a brilliant smile glowing with a glimmering countenance. "I'd like that," he smiled softly.

"Here, Hikaru," Akira reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box of black velvet.

He opened it, taking out a gorgeous ring of gold with two diamonds cut into the form of hearts, surrounding an emerald princess-cut stone with the character for love inlaid in gold. It was attached to a chain of gold. Akira clasped the necklace around Hikaru's neck, kissing it softly as he pulled his hands away.

"One day, Hikaru, I'll put it on your hand, and then we'll amaze the world," the boy with dark green hair swore, a loving promise Akira knew he'd never break; for an eternity of torture couldn't force him to lie to Hikaru and break the heart of the other boy.

The said boy gently tucked the expensive and love-filled necklace under his shirt, dreaming of the day he and Akira could be open with their love and devotion.


	10. Chapter 10 Go Salon

-1Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 10  
Go Salon

"Isumi, which Go salon are we going to today?" Hikaru greeted his friends shortly after both Hikaru and Akira tried to tie four boards at one time.

"I don't know yet," Isumi answered, giving a small smile. "Which one do you want to go to?"

Hikaru grinned, punching a fist into the air in excitement, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from passersby on the busy streets of Tokyo. "I want to go back to the first one, where Kawai-san plays!"

"All right," Waya and Isumi shrugged before the three took off to the mentioned Go salon.

"Hey, it's Shindou!" the Go salon erupted into cheers as the young Insei walked into the room.

"Hi, guys!" Hikaru grinned, automatically walking to a table. Kawai, the BossSoga, and Doumoto followed, also sitting down at the table.

"Hey, Shindou, we have to pay!" Waya called to his friend and fellow Go player in annoyance.

The boss laughed. "No, it's all right. Shindou never pays here. Oh, hey, weren't you two the boys that came with him the first time he came?" he asked, dimly recognizing the two.

"Yeah, we were!" Waya grinned.

"Well, then," he smiled, "I guess you don't need to pay the house fee!"

"Thank you," Isumi bowed while Waya punched a fist into the air in excitement.

"Oh, it's no problem!" Koji (I made it up… does he have a name? HELP!) shrugged. "You're friends with Shindou! Feel free to find yourself an opponent, I'm sure just about everyone here will be willing to play you."

Waya smiled and said, "Thanks, we will!" before leading Isumi into the Go salon to find themselves someone to play.

Across the room, Koji began to explain what the group of Go players would be doing.

"Now, you're going to play all four boards again, Shindou, but this time, instead of tying all four boards, you're going to try and win all four boards with appropriate handicaps."

"Cool!" Hikaru cheered as he began nigiri. "Ok, Koji-san and Soga-san are white, Kawai-san and Doumoto-san are black."

"Onigaishimasu!"

"All right!" burst through the Go salon about two hours later, as Hikaru finished the last of his four games, and he came out the victor in each one.

"Congratulations, Shindou!" the four men cheered for their young student.

"Thanks! It's all because of you!"

Koji laughed. "Oh, we're not done yet! Now, here's a piece of paper and a pen. I want you to write our names, and then if you plan to tie us or win us."

Hikaru blinked. "All right."

He did as instructed, and the games began again.

_I don't think he succeeded this time,_ Koji thought anxiously as he counted the score for his board, the last one finished. _He won against Soga and Kawai, but tied against Doumoto. I expected him to try to tie me, as I'm the hardest opponent to beat, but he won against me. He must have miscounted… _

Hikaru's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "All right!" the blonde-banged boy cheered. "I won!"

Koji blinked. "I thought you'd try to tie against me!" he expressed his surprise.

"Well, I thought about it, but I decided to do the unexpected!" Hikaru explained as he held up the paper he filled out before the game.

"A job well done, Shindou," Isumi told Hikaru as he and Waya wondered over to their table.

"Oh, hey guys," Hikaru greeted, "are you ready to leave?" At the two's nod, Hikaru smiled at the four older men. "Thanks for helping me! I'll be back soon!"

"Good-bye!" the four waved as the three teenaged boys walked out of the Go salon.

Koji sighed. "What is it, Koji-san?" Soga asked curiously.

"I can't wait for Shindou to enter the pro world. I think he'll bring quite a shock."

"As do I."

Outside the Go salon, Hikaru yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "God, I'm tired!" he announced.

"So am I!" Waya agreed. "So, did you have fun, Shindou?"

Hikaru nodded. "Did you two?"

"Yes, we did," Isumi smiled, "we found several strong players to play. I even learned a few new responses I think I'll try sometime."

Waya grinned. "Me too! So, where are we going now? I don't know about you, but I'm hungry!"

"Me too!" Hikaru agreed immediately in a loud, booming tone.

"I want sushi!"

"Ramen, Waya ramen!" Sai's container-of-sorts protested. "Ramen is the best!"

"No, it's not! Sushi is!" raged the other boy. "We have to go get sushi!"

"Ramen!"

"Sushi!"

"Ramen!"

"Sushi!"

"You guys," Isumi finally interrupted a few minutes later, "why don't we go there?"

Hikaru and Waya followed his finger across the street, where a sign announced a sale on both sushi and ramen.

"All right!" the two chirped in unison.

The three boys crossed the road and entered the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. They sat down, and a waitress immediately approached.

"Can I get you anything?"

Hikaru responded immediately. "Yes, can I get a bowl of miso ramen and a coke?"

"I'd like a plate of spicy sushi and a coke," Waya added.

"And for you?" the young nameless waitress asked, looking at Isumi.

"I'd like onigiri and a small order of original sushi."

"And to drink?"

"Water is fine," the quiet teen smiled.

"Ok, your food should be ready in about ten minutes." With that, the waitress left to deliver the order and serve another guest.

The boys began to chat quietly until they were given their food and finished eating, then left the restaurant and began to head home.

"Well, the pro exams begin next week," Waya sighed outside the door.

Hikaru groaned in a sorrowful tone. "You just had to remind me."

"What, you aren't excited?" Isumi asked, surprised.

"Oh, no, I am," Hikaru hurried to correct, "it's just that I'm going to be missing a lot of school. I don't care, but my parents will, and I'm never going to hear the end of it."

"Ah, I see. I haven't been in that situation, so I'm sorry I can't help," Waya said apologetically.

Hikaru turned to Isumi hopefully. "Just try your best, Hikaru, and maybe your parents will realize that playing go is your dream. Have faith."

"Thanks, Isumi, I'll try! Oh, this is my turn. See you later!"

Hikaru broke off from the others, and took off towards the park, where he met up with Akira.

"Hey, Akira," Hikaru greeted in a saddened tone.

"What's the matter?" the green-haired boy asked his fiancé worriedly.

"It's just that my parents still don't like me playing Go. They just don't get it. I mean, they know that's what you're dad does, but they've never bothered to learn anything about it. It hurts that they don't approve of what I want to do."

"Hikaru, it's ok, I'm here for you. I approve, you know I do. I want you to go out there in that pro exam, and stop holding back completely. Take everything you've learned recently, as well as everything I taught you. Then, when you pass, you can give up your 'beginner' mask. That's when you can finally gain your parents attention."


	11. Chapter 11 Pro Exam

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 11  
Pro Exams

"What, he's an Insei? And he's in the middle of the Pro Exam? Tell them yes! Can you set it up for me? Thanks." Akira hung up the phone and smiled.

_There, Hikaru, you asked me if the Pro Exam got any harder. Now it will!_ he thought to himself as he grabbed his cell phone out of the phone table drawer and headed upstairs. He pressed speed dial number one and waited for someone to pick up at the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Hikaru," Akira greeted warmly.

"Kira! Hey, what's up?" the blonde-banged boy exclaimed.

The two-dan smiled. "I set up a challenge for you in the pro exam. I'm having a private tutor session with someone named Ochi on Tuesday. Apparently he's taking the pro test with you, and is one of the only undefeated players left."

"Really? Thanks, that's great! Everyone I've fought so far has been really easy to beat, even when I hold back like I've been doing."

"I thought you'd like that!" Akira laughed.

"Hikaru! Finish your homework!" Mrs. Shindou's voice echoed through Hikaru's home loud enough for Akira to hear over the phone.

"I'll et you go, then, Hikaru. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Welcome to our home, Touya two-dan," Ochi's grandfather greeted a few days later when he opened the front door to welcome the professional go player to his home.

Akira bowed. "Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here."

The two walked into the living room, where the young number one Insei sat in front of an expensive Goban.

"Hello, you must be Ochi. I'm Akira," Hikaru's betrothed introduced himself as he sat down across from the brown-haired boy. "You may go first."

The game began, and after only a few moves, the Insei's eyes widened in shock.

_He realized how I'm playing quickly, _Akira thought to himself, _good, that means there's a bit of hope for him to give Hikaru at least _some _challenge when they face each other in the last game of the pro exam._

The game ended within an hour, and boy boys bowed politely before Ochi ran to the restroom.

Akira sweat dropped. _Well, that was weird!_

"I played seriously; it looked like you wanted a game," Akira said once the Insei finally returned to the living room, brushing away imaginary dust on his pants.

"Thank you," Ochi replied politely as he sat back down in his seat.

"Would you like to discuss the game?" Ochi nodded, and the boys proceeded to avidly discuss a round of the game they both loved for an hour before they finally moved on to something else… still related to Go, of course.

"I read on the GO Association website that you and three others are the only ones still undefeated," Akira spoke up in an attempt at polite conversation.

Ochi nodded. "That's right; Waya, Isumi, Shindou, and me. The four of us have won all ten of our games. But that's going to end soon; Shindou and Isumi play each other in the twelfth game, and Waya and Isumi in the thirteenth. At the least, it will be down to two."

"Oh? Who do you think is going to drop, Waya or Isumi?" Akira asked curiously.

"Waya or Isumi?" Ochi clarified with an odd glint in his eyes, "why would you think Shindou's going to beat Isumi? I assure you, Isumi will win against both Shindou and Waya."

Akira shook his head lightly. "I wouldn't count on that," he smiled, "Shindou's game improves daily."

Ochi blinked. "How would you know that?" he asked in confusion.

"I just do," the young pro smiled mysteriously.

A few days later, the long awaited battle of Shindou and Isumi finally arrived. "Onigaishimasu," the two bowed before beginning an intense battle of territory. By the time lunch arrived, it looked as if Isumi would easily win the game, though Isumi had already used almost all his time.

_Why is he playing so cautiously? _Ochi thought to himself in confusion as he analyzed the other Insei's Goban.

For Isumi and Hikaru, lunch was a blur; the time to continue their match seemed to arrive in the blink of an eye. Hikaru kept a sharp eye on the board in an attempt to create a way to win as Isumi continued to play cautiously.

_Sai? Did Isumi just…_ Hikaru asked as he saw the brown-haired Insei move a stone after he removed his fingers from it. _What should I do?_ _Should I ask, or…_

Sai shook his head. _That's up to you to decide._

Hikaru clenched his fists in thought as he saw Isumi fall apart in shame.

Isumi… 

Hikaru spoke up, worried about his friend. "Isumi…"

"I resign," Isumi bowed.

"What? Why?" Hikaru gasped in confusion as the older teen stood up and walked out of the room.

_Sai, why did he resign? I was going to tell him to keep playing, I wasn't pointing out his mistake! I thought I had a way to beat him, and I wanted to test it out! How could he just quit like that? _Hikaru cried in confusion.

_Well, _Sai said, _he looked ashamed of what he did. He may have wanted to punish himself for what he did. Many people prefer their records to show a loss of only a few moku rather than a resignation, and this way there is no chance he can win at the end. He'd only feel worse if he ended up winning when he cheated during the game._

Hikaru blinked. _Yeah, I guess, _he sighed in acknowledgment. He stood, and walked over to the table to record the results of the disappointing match.

Across the room, Ochi stared at Hikaru in confusion. _What the heck? The winners record the results! Why is Shindou over there? I saw their match! Isumi should have won, unless Isumi made a mistake. There's no way Shindou is good enough to come back when he was that far behind before lunch._


	12. Chapter 12 Isumi's Breakdown and Prepera

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 12  
Isumi's Breakdown and Preparations

"Hikaru, what's wrong?" Akira asked as the two sat on the edge of a hill overlooking a large local lake, Hikaru's black and blonde head resting in the lap of his green-haired fiancé. "You've been really depressed the past few days, and I'm beginning to worry it's going to affect your games. You almost lost twice this week; to Isumi and that other Insei… Fuku, I think? What's been going on?"

Hikaru sighed, stretching his hand over his head and inspecting the tiny veins in his hand. "Isumi removed his hand from a stone and then moved it in our match, and he looked really upset, and I was going to tell him not to worry about it, but he forfeited before I could, and he's lost every game since. I don't know what to do to help him! He's going to loose his chances in the pro exam if he keeps this loosing streak of his up!"

"I now it's hard, Hikaru, but you have to let Isumi solve this on his own. If you try and interfere, it may help temporarily, but he won't truly get over it, and he his game will weaken again."

"But… what if Isumi doesn't solve it on his own? Do I just let one mistake ruin his entire future in Go?" Hikaru asked incredulously, jerking up out of Akira's lap. The green haired boy sighed, gazing at Hikaru with solemn eyes.

"If he can't solve this on his own, he won't make it as a professional go player, Akira. It's a brand new world once you pass the exam, and if Isumi-san can't solve this, then he won't make it in such a cutthroat society. I'm sorry, Hikaru, but that's the only answer I can give you, even if it's not the one you want to hear."

Hikaru lay back down in Akira's lap, one hand reaching up to grab Akira's. "It's ok," he relented, "I know you mean well, and I trust your judgment. You're probably right, I've just got to wait and hope Isumi pulls out of this flunk of his soon."

A few days later, Hikaru watched Ochi resign, and smiled as the boy walked towards the door where he stood.

"Ochi, I'll be playing you in the last round. I'll be much stronger than I am now." He walked out of the door, smirking inwardly at Ochi's wide eyes. As soon as he was out of the Go Institute, he picked up his cell phone to call Akira.

"Hey, Akira? I think Ochi will be calling you, I think I scared him."

Akira sighed. "Hikaru! Oh well. Are you free tonight? Oto-san and Oka-san were wanting to know if you could come over for dinner; they're complaining that it's been far too long since you joined us for anything other than Go."

"Sure, I'll be right over. I'll call my parents on the way."

Half an hour later, Hikaru opened the front door to the Touya's home. Akira sat on the bench in the entryway, and stood up immediately when his fiancé walked through the door. Hikaru walked over, and Akira pulled him into his arms.

"It's been way too long since I saw you in person," Hikaru muttered, laying his head down on Akira's shoulder.

Akira smiled, kissing the blonde-banged boy's forehead. "I know, Hikaru, I know," he smiled.

"Boys! Break it up! There's plenty of time for that once you're married, silly," Mrs. Touya teased, appearing in the entry way from the living room beyond.

"Hai, Okaa-san," the two chorused, Hikaru quickly exchanging his outdoor shoes into his slippers he kept in his own personal cubby and following the other two into the house. In the living room, Touya-Meijin sat formally at a traditional Japanese table that made up the focus point of the comfortable room.

"Ah, Hikaru, it's been awhile. Come sit down."

"Hai, Oto-san. It's great to see you again," Hikaru smiled as he sat down across from the Go legend. Akira sat down next to him, with his mother sitting across from him and next to Touya-Meijin. "So, why'd you want me to come today? I doubt it was just because it's been a few weeks since I've been able to make it over here to see you."

Touya-Meijin smiled. "No, however nice it is to see you, there is some business we need to take care of. You two are fourteen; you're getting married in less than a year. We need to begin the preparations. Where were you two wanting to have the ceremony? We have to have it at a temple, as that's the only place you are legally allowed to wed until you're eighteen, but which one?"

Akira and Hikaru glanced at each other and smiled. "We were thinking of the Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto," Akira answered, still gazing at Hikaru.

"Oh, that would be perfect!" Mrs. Touya smiled. "Are you wanting it on the terrace or at the shrine?"

This time it was Hikaru that responded. "The shrine, we think. It would mean we could have a smaller wedding without having a ton of extra space."

"Perfect. That particular shrine is dedicated to the God of Love; just perfect for a wedding. Now, what kind of flowers do you want?" When she was answered with blank gazes, Mrs. Touya laughed lightly. "Haven't decided yet? Well, what about sakura blossoms and white roses? They're beautiful, and white isn't a 'girly' color like red or pink," she suggested kindly.

The two teenaged boys, continued to gaze at each other for several seconds before turning back to Akira's parents.

"Yes, that will be perfect. Arigatou, Oka-san," the young Go professional and prodigy smiled at his mother.

The middle-aged woman beamed in pride. "It's no problem, boys, I'm a mother; it's my job to know what you'd like, especially when it concerns something as big as a wedding. Now, you two need to begin planning on your own how you're going to announce your engagement to the public, as well as a guest list. When do you want the wedding?"

"We haven't decided yet," Hikaru answered immediately. "We're still debating on that."

"That's quite alright, just let me know when you've decided so I can call the temple and reserve the temple as well as the shrine for the wedding. And remember, this cannot be a last minute decision or we won't be able to get the space."

"Hai," the two responded in unison, smiling at the kind woman who had always been there to help them through they're problems.

"Oh, a wedding! I'm so excited!" Sai screamed in excitement, dancing around the living room as Hikaru tried not to smile at his crazy ghost friend.


	13. Chapter 13 Match not to be Played

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 13

The Match That Wasn't Played

"This was a match I played two years ago. I was white," Akira told Ochi one day during their tutoring sessions when Ochi asked why Akira was obsessed with Hikaru.

You mean besides him being my fiancé? Akira thought to himself as he began to recreate the mentioned game.

"Who was black?" the young Insei asked as the game unfolded, revealing the genius mind behind the game.

Akira frowned. "Shindou."

Well, actually, it was Sai, but he doesn't need to know that, that would just confuse him. Besides, the way Hikaru has progressed ever since he met that ghost is terrifying. Hikaru has always been able to challenge me, but it was because he knew my playing style. He could beat amateurs easily, but he had trouble when playing against the professionals, and often lost when we were growing up. But now, he's my equal for another reason. It doesn't matter if he knows how I'll respond or not, because he's able to see so far ahead he can instantly create such advanced traps half the time I don't even see them until I'm already caught. If this continues, he's going to pass me… and he's not far from being able to give Sai a real challenge, as well.

Of couse, I don't think Hikaru truly understands his true strength. He's so embarrassed by his sudden talent that he won't even admit to it, he just pretends to be a beginniner in all of his matches. But that's part of the reason why he is as good as he is now; when a player puts mental limits on himself, he has no choice but to play at a higher level, because he has to keep track of more than the other player, as well as see farther ahead than the other player. On top of that, he has to do it without letting the opponent know, for if he or she found out, they'd be insulted that you didn't think they were good enough to play them at full strength. So truly, it's not surprising Hikaru has come as far as he has in such a short time…

"How could this happen to me? I hate this I hate this I hate this!" Ochi raged, throwing down the newsletter in his hand and running out of the Go Association building.

"What's going on?" Hikaru asked, walking over to where Waya and Isumi sat in the break room provided for those taking the pro exam. "The match is about to start, and there's no way he would miss this! He's been talking about nothing but beating me today for months!" The two wordlessly handed over a yellow note that lay on the table in front of them.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

The Pro-Exams are now complete. No further games will occur. Shindou has no losses, Ochi has one loss, Waya has two, and Isumi has four. These are the only players that only have less than five losses. Even if Shindou, Ochi, and Waya lose and Isumi wins, Shindou will have one loss, Ochi two, Waya three, and Isumi four. No matter who wins or loses in today's match, Shindou, Ochi, and Waya will pass. Thus, there will be no game today. Sorry for any inconvenience. Our web server is down, and thus we couldn't update the website, and we didn't have access to our directory. Again, sorry for any inconvenience. 

Hikaru frowned. "Really? I didn't really pay attention to the game records, so I never realized that the winners had already been decided."

"No one did. This wouldn't have happened if we hadn't all won on Thursday, no one stays for all the matches to finish, and the server's been down all week for maintenance," Isumi told him as they all stood and walked out of the room.

"I see… I never check the website, anyways, I don't have Internet access at home. Anyways, I'll see you later!" he told Isumi and Waya, turning right from the break room.

"Where are you going?" Waya asked in confusion, "the exit's left. You can't still be getting lost!"

Hikaru laughed. "I'm not leaving yet. There's someone I need to talk to. See you later!" He then hurriedly left Waya and Isumi behind, not wanting to have to answer the questions they were sure to have about who he needed to speak to.

Waya frowned. I wonder what's up with him. He's been acting really out of character lately, and right before the preliminaries his game improved really fast, just barely winning enough games to make it to the test in time. I wonder… no, that's impossible. Why would he have held back until he had to improve fast in order to take the test? I must be crazy.

"Waya, is something the matter?" Isumi questioned his friend in concern.

"Huh? Oh, nothings wrong. Do you want to go to a go salon?"

"Sure."

A few minutes after leaving Waya and Isumi, Hikaru came to a small room with a table in the center and a television mounted on the screen. Akira sat at the table, waiting to record the moves shown on the screen; a game between his father and Ogata. The game was set to begin in fifteen minutes time. Akira looked up when he heard the door open, and gasped in amazement. "Hikaru! Why aren't you in the exam room? The last match will begin in five minutes; you can't be late! I don't care if you've already passed or not, you should play every match you're scheduled for; even a win teaches you more about the game! You know that!"

Hikaru smiled, walking across the room without a word. He pulled Akira's chair out from the table, and then sat down in the boy's lap, leaning sideways into his chest. "There is no match today."

"What do you mean, Saiai?" Akira asked in confusion.

"The Go Association decided there was no need; no matter who won or who lost, the winners would not change. Ochi, Waya, and I are the ones who passed."

Akira smiled, wrapping his arms around the new go pro's waist with pride. "Well then," he muttered, kissing Hikaru's neck, "I guess congratulations are in order. Although I don't think you need them, I've known you'd pass since the test began.

Hikaru raised his right eyebrow, tilting his head to the side to glance at his fiance' through the corner of his eye. "A bit over confident about your soon-to-be-husband, Akira?"

"You know it," Akira grinned, kissing Hikaru's lips before the blonde-banged boy stood, sighing as he glanced at the television screen. "The game's going to be starting soon, so I'll take that as my signal to leave."

"That would be best, but be at my house at seven tonight. We have more planning to do for our wedding."

Hikaru nodded his head in agreement as he walked out of the small room and leaving the Go Association, headed towards home.

Note: Chapter replaced August 28, 2008


	14. Chapter 14 Ceremony

Yaoi Betrothal  
Chapter 14  
Ceremony

"In the Go Association, it has been a tradition to only allow three people to enter the professional rankings every year for decades. This year, we at the Go Association are proud to announce that all three of our Beginner-Dan's come from the Insei ranks. They are Shindou Hikaru, Ochi Kosuke, and Waya Yoshitaka. Please welcome them to our midst's with honor," a tall, brown-haired man introduced at the 2004 Graduation Ceremony. "Would they please come to the stage now to be awarded their certificates by last year's top qualifier, Touya Akira."

Hikaru, Ochi, and Waya stood from their seats in the first row of the small auditorium, and walked to the front of the room onto the stage, standing in order of ranking facing the announcer. Akira walked up the other side of the stage, took the certificates from the announcer's podium, and walked down the line, handing them to the three boys, shaking their hands as he did so. Once he handed the last certificate to Waya, he stepped back as the three new go professionals turned to the crowd and bowed, symbolizing the end of the hour-long yearly ceremony. As the three stars of the night's ceremony straightened out of their bows, Akira walked forward until he was behind his fiancé, wrapping his arms around the blonde-banged boy's waist. Hikaru automatically leaned into Akira's chest, who smiled, grabbing the boy's hand and slipping a small elegant ring onto his left ring finger.

Hikaru gasped, turning around quickly in Akira's arms. "Does this …!" he asked breathlessly. Akira nodded, and Hikaru threw his arms around his neck, burring his head into the hard shoulder beneath him. Akira tightened his arms around the slightly shorter boy's waist, kissing his head softly before looking up at the other people in the room, who were all starring at the two young pro's in shock.

"What?" he asked faux curiously, tilting his head.

"Can you please explain what is going on? I'd assume that's an engagement ring, but that seemed like an unusual proposal on it's own, let alone between two fourteen-year-old boy's," Ogata asked, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose as he gazed at the two boys with cold, studious eyes.

Akira shrugged. "You're right about it being an engagement ring, but the proposal sounded weird because it wasn't a proposal. We've been betrothed since birth, we just never announced it to the public. By asking 'do you mean,' Hikaru was just clarifying that we don't have to hide our relationship anymore."

"You've been betrothed since birth?" Waya asked in shock, "how did that happen? I've heard of arranged marriages before, but never between two men!"

"That's because we're this generations keisuke." As soon as that word left Akira's mouth, the room silenced immediately, an aura of awe resonating around the room.

Waya blinked in confusion. "What's keisuke?"

"Keisuke is two people who are so well intoned to each other it's like they are one person. Some countries call this soul mates. Before death, the keisuke receives a vision of the next generations, and how to contact the parents of the two, as the ones chosen are always children still in their parents womb. As soon as they have completed their job, the magic releases them, and the keisuke dies within twenty-four hours, no longer sustained by what they are," Ogata explained. "The keisuke pairs have begun to keep their identities secret, not wanting the fame that comes with the title, so it's been two hundred years since the world knew who they were. It's come to the point where most people have stopped believing in it, thinking it a legend."

Waya's eyes widened in amazement, but Ochi rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"If it's so famous, why haven't I heard of it before? And even if it does exist, I doubt you're it. Even Ogata said that they never revealed their identity to the public, so it's not like anyone would be able to tell you out as liars."

Akira shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't care if you believe it or not, we know, and that's all that matters. But to make things clear, we wouldn't have told if Hikaru hadn't passed the Pro exam. But he did, and that means both of us will be in the spotlight, meaning we wouldn't be able to keep our relationship under wraps too much longer. It's much simpler to simple say it now before it turns into a huge scandal outside of our control."

The next day, the go world expected to wake up to headlines about the pro's that had been introduced into the professional world around the globe the day before. However, everyone was blown away by headlines like "Japan's Meijin's son part of famous 'keisuke' pair with a new pro, a male." The world sat stunned for several days, then erupted in whispers of gossip as the pro's tried to ascertain whether the two boys were sprouting truth and lies. But when the Meijin himself submitted to an interview and supported the boys' claims, the professional world shrugged and went on with life as normal, accepting the relationship for what it was. No matter how homophobic a person was, they couldn't deny that keisuke, and destiny, was something that couldn't be avoided.

Years later, Hikaru and Akira, both nineteen, sat down to play the final game of the Meijin Ranking Matches. Akira had beaten his father the year before, and now it was Hikaru's time to challenge his husband. Hours into the match, Akira played the Hand of God, and Hikaru responded with the same move, ending the match in a draw. Sai sat next to the board between the two boys, glowing with pride.

Owari

Author's Notes:

If you haven't already, go back and re-read chapter 13. I added about half a page to the beginning of the chapter.Thanks for reading, and thank you for all the support over my car, they really brightened my day. Hope to see you again. 


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